Automatic cotton press and feeder.



No. 836,488. PATENTED NOV. 20, 190E:v

P. B. GUMPSTON.

AUTOMATIG COTTON PRESS AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' 4/ wuamtoz m v n Gu d PATENTED NOV. '20, 1906.

P. B; OUMPSTON. AUTOMATIC COTTON PRESS AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED Nov; 20, 1906.

F. GUMPSTON. AUTOMATIC COTTON PRESS AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION TILED APR.2.1906.

3 SHEETS-SHBBT 3v Witneoaw am. MWW

UNITED STATES PArENroFFmE.

. FREDERlCK BERNARD CUMPSTON, OF BLOOMING GROVE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO T. W. SEWELL, ONE-THIRD TO RVJ. PAGE, AND ONE-THIRD TO M. G.

GROVE, TEXAS.

YOUNG, OF BLOOMING Aurowmrlc COTTON PRESS AND FEEDEFL' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed April 2 1906. Serial No. 309,506

- Tea/ll whom it many concern:

Be itknown that I, FREDERICK BERNARD CuM'PsToN, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding -at Blooming Grove, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 7 Automatic Cotton Presses and Feeders, of

which the following is a specification. This lnventionrelates to an improvement in cottonpress'es, and more particularly to that type of cotton-presses designed to be most position A further object of the invention is the provision of automatic means for slowly actuating the throttle to cause the descent of the plunger and automatic means for quickly actuating the throttle to caus'ethe ascent of the plunger.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for automatically feeding thecotton into the press-box from the condenser.

'Other objects of the invention will be apparent-from the detailed description hereinafter made when read in c nnection with the accompanying drawin s, f rming a part hereof, wherein a preferab e embodiment of my invention is shown and wherein. like letters of q shaft E.

reference refer to similar parts in'the several views.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation be constantly driven from anv suitable of my improved cotton-press. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of my improved press. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the mechanism for automatically throttling the movements of the throttle -'valve, and Figs. 5 and 6' are detail views showing the arrangement of the throttlevv'aive with reference to the power-cylinder.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, A designates a condenser, which may be of any suitable form and construction, and B designates the press-frame, within which is supported the press-box B, whlch may be of any suitable construction.

C designates a lint-chute which extends from the condenser into proximity to the top of the press-box B and is adapted to convey the cotton from the condenser thereto; The edges of the lint-chute are provided with the .grooves c,which extend longitudinally thereof.

D designates a bar which extends transversely across the lint-chute and is movable longitudinally thereof, the ends of the said bar fitting loosely in the grooves c in the side of the lint-chute C. The bar D is provided adj acent the end thereof with u wardly-extending ears d, in which is journa ed a shaft (1, the extremities of which are provided with the small cranked portions (1 The shaft (1 has secured, thereto a plurality of downwardlyextending curved teeth (1 which are adapted to engage the cotton and force the same into the press-box when the bar D is moved downwardly in the groove 0 in the lint-chute.

E designates a shaft which extends transversely of the condenser A and is journaled in suitable bearings secured to the to thereof. The ends of the shaft E are provi ed with relatively large cranked portions '6, which I are connected by pitmen e to the cranked portions (1 of the shaft (1. The relative sizes of the cranked portions e and cl are such that the teeth (1 carried by the shaft d,will be held in engagement with the cotton in the lint-chute during the entire forward movement of the bar D, but will be raised out of engagement therewith during the rearward movement of said bar.

E designates a drive-pulley secured tothe F designates a drive-shaft which is positioned above the shaft E and is adapted to The shaft F is moved vertically to bring the i friction-wheel F, carried thereby, into and out of engagement with the pulley E by a lever G, which engages said shaft and is fulcrumed on one of the bearings secured to the top of the condenser A. The forward end of said lever is adapted to occupy a position ICO overlying the press-box for a purpose to be a nut secured to the upper end of the rod 9 and the upper surface of the section G of the lever G. By this construction the friction wheel F will be held in yieldable engagement with the pulley E when the free end of the lever G is elevated in a manner to be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

H designates the plunger of the press, which has secured to one edge thereof an upwardly-extending plate H, which is adapted to slide across the discharge end of the lintchute and to constitute a cut-off to prevent the cotton therein from passing to the pressbox except when the plunger H is in its elevated position, The cut-off plate H is held against buckling or bending by a plurality of L-shaped braces H", the ends of which are secured, respectively, to the upper portion of said plate andto the opposite side of the plunger H.

I designates a steam-cylinder which is supported upon the top of the press-frame B; I desi nates a piston adapted to reciprocate in said cylinder, and I designates a pistonrod connecting said piston and the plunger H. Steam is admitted to the ends of the cylinder I through the pipes i and i.

. K designates a throttle-valve whichmay be of any suitable construction and which is designed to admit steam from the boiler to either the pipe i or the pipe t to effect the raising and lowering of the plunger'H.

Secured to one side of the press-frame B are a pair of separated guide-bars L, the inner edges of which are provided with grooves Z for the reception of a plate L, which is slidably secured between said 'uides' The plate L is connected by a re Z with the throttle-valve K.

M designates a shaft journaled in suitable bearings secured to the frame and extending transversely of the guides L. The shaft M is adapted to be constantly driven from any suitable source of power and has secured thereto intermediate the guides L a disk M, which has secured to its opposite sides a large ear-wheel m and a small gear-wheel m.

N designates an open frame which is pivotally secured to theplate L and which embraces the shaft M. The upper and lower bars of the frame N are oifset, so as to extend on opposite sides of the disk M, and

' the innerfaces of said bars are provided with racks n and n, whichare adapted to be re-' spectively engaged by the gears m and m. The upper bar of the frame N normallyrests upon a stud 0, secured to a. lever O, which is A rod 9 is secured to pivotally mounted on an extension of'one of the guides L, so that the racks n and 'n are both held out of engagement with the gears m and m of the disk M.

P designates an apron of angular crosssection, which is pivotally secured between bearings-blocks secured to the top 'of the press-frame near the edge thereof. The apron P extends transversely of the pressframe and in its normal position is adapted to underlie the plunger H.

P" designates an upwardly-extending arm secured to one of the pivots of the apron P. The arm P is connected to the lever O by means of a link p. A spring 0, secured to the extension of one of the guides'L and bearing against the stud 0, projecting from the lever 0, serves to assist in maintaining the apron P in its normal position. v Q designates a shaft journaled in the pressframe and provided at one end with a cranked portion 9, which is adapted to underlie the lower bar of the frame The cranked portion q may be provided with a friction-roller q, if desired. The opposite end of the shaft Q is provided with a cranked portion 9'- diametrically opposite to thecranked portion g, to which is secured an upwardly-ex tending rod R, which projects through an aperture in an arm 72', which extends laterally from the top of the plate H.

S designates a spring which encircles the rod R and the lower end of which is secured to a sleeve 8, which is adapted to be secured to the rod R by means of a set-screws.

Having described the construction of my improved press, I will now'set forth the operation thereof. Assuming that the plunger H is in its elevated position, ,the upper edge .of the plate H having engaged the free end of the lever G and moved the same a sufficient amount to cause the friction-wheel F to engage the friction-wheel E itwill be apparent that the bar D will be reciprocated and that cotton will be fed from the lintchute into the press-box. When the pressbox is filled, the incoming cotton will engage the apron P and force the same outwardly, which through the'arm P and link p will move the lever O a sufficient distance to withdraw the lug 0 thereof from out of engage.- ment with the upper bar of the frame N. The, frame N will then drop'by gravity, and the rack 71 will be brought into engagementwith the small gear m of the constantly-rotating disk M, which will cause the throttle valve K to be moved slowly to admit steam through the pipe i to the upper end of the cylinder, and thereby effect the downward movement of the plunger. The downward movement of the plunger will continue until the arm h, which extends laterally from the top of the plate H, contacts with the 'upper end of the spring S, which will cause the depression of the rod R, and consequently the elevation of the cranked portion 9 of the wheel at, which will cause the throttle-valve K to be rapidly reversed to permit the admission of steam to the lower end of the cylinder I through the pipe i, and thereby elevate the plunger. It will be obvious that by adjusting the position of the sleeve 8 on the rod R the reversal of the movement of the plunger H can be effected at any desired time. As soon as the plunger starts its downward movement the weight of the lever G will raise the friction'wheel F out of engagement with the pulley E, and thereby cause the feeding device to cease to operate.

I do' not desire to limit myself to the precise form of construction shown in the drawings, and it is obvious that many minor changes might be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope 'of the in vention.

What I claim is- 1. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, means for intermittently raising and lowering said plunger, and automatic means for positively feeding material to the press-box controlled by the raising and lowering movement of said plunger.

2. In a device of the character described, a

press-box, a plunger, means for intermittently raising and lowering said plunger, feeding instrumentalities for positively feeding a supply of material to the press-box, and means for automatically setting said feeding instrumentalities into operation when the plunger is moved to its elevated position.

' 3. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a chuteadapted to communicate therewith, a plunger, and a cut-off plate car ried by said plunger, adapted to close the discharge end of said chute, exceptwhen said plunger is in its elevated position, a feeding device in said chute, and means for automatically actuating said feeding device when the plunger is moved to its elevated position.

4. In a deviceof the character described, a press-box, a chute adapted to communicate therewith, a reciprocatory feeding device in said chute, a plunger, means for intermittently raising and lowering said plunger, and means for automatically actuating said feeding device when the plunger is. in its raised position.

5. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a chute adapted to communicate therewith, a reciprocatory feeding device in said chute, a plunger, a cut-off plate carried by said plunger, and closing the discharge end of said chute, except whensaid plunger is in its elevatedposition, means for intermittently raising and lowering said plunger, and means for automatically actuating said feeding device when the plunger is moved to its elevated position.

6. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a chute adapted to communicate therewith, a reciprocatory feeding device in said chute, a normally stationary shaft for actuating said feeding device, a constantlydriven shaft, a plunger, means for raising and lowering said plunger, and means forautomatically connecting the shaft of the feeding device with the constantly-retating shaft when the plunger is moved to its elevated position.

7. In a device of the character described,-a press-box, a chute adapted to communicate therewith, a feeding device in said chute, a plunger, means for raising and lowering said plunger, a shaft for actuating said feeding de vice, a friction-wheel carried by said shaft, a constantly-rotating shaft movably'supported adjacent the actuating-shaft of the feeding mechanism and provided with a frictionwheel adapted to engage the friction-wheel thereon, and means for moving said constantlyerotatin shaft to bring the frictionwheel carried. thereby into engagement with the friction-wheel carried by the actuatingshaft of the feeding mechanism, when the plunger is moved to its elevated position.

8 In a device of the character described, a press-box, a chute adapted to communicate therewith, a bar extending transversely of said chute andlongitudinally movable therein, a shaft journaled in said bar and provided with cranked end portions, a plurality of teeth secured to said shaft, a drive-shaft having cranked end portions, and pitmen connect "ing the cranked portions of said shafts.

9. In a device of the character described, a pressboX, a plunger, means for feeding ma terial to the press-box, and means operable upon the filling of the press-box for effecting the lowering movement of the plunger.

10. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, means for feeding material to the press-box, means operable upon the filling of the press-box for automatically effecting the lowering of the plunger, and means operable by the lowering movement of the plunger for automatically effecting the reversal thereof.

- 11. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston therein, a connection between said piston and plunger, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to the opposite ends of said cylinder, automatic means for slowly actuating said cylinder to cause the lowering movement of said plunger, and automatic means for quickly actuating said valve to cause the raising movement of said plunger.

12. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston therein, a connection between said piston and cylinder, a valve controlling the admissioni of fluid to the opposite ends of said cylinr' er, means operable upon the filling of the press-box for actuating said valve to cause the lowering movement of said plunger, and means operable when said plunger reaches its lowermost position for actuating said valve to cause the raising movement of said plunger.

13. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, means for feeding material to the press-box, a member movably supported above the press-box and in the path of the incoming material, and means controlled by the movement of said member.

for automatically effecting the lowering of said plunger.

14. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston therein, a connection between said piston and plunger, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to the opposite end of said cylinder, means for feeding material to the press box, .a pivoted apron supported above the. press-box and in the path of the incoming material, and means operable upon the movement of said apron for shifting said valve to effect the lowering of the plunger.

and said valve, means for normally supporting said plate so that the racks thereof will i not engage with either of said gear-wheels,

means automatically operable upon the filling of the press-box for causing one of the racks of said plate to engage with the small gear-wheei, and means automatically operable upon the lowering of the plunger for causing other of said racks to engage with the large ge ar-wh eel.

16. In a device of the character described, a press-litre, a plunger, a fluid-pressure cylinder, piston therein, a connection between said piston and cylinder, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to the opposite end of said cylinder, a reciprocatory plate for actuating said valve, means for normally preventing the reciprocation of said plate, means operable upon the filling of the press-box for reciprocating said plate slowly in one direction, and means operable upon the lowering of the plunger for reciprocating'said plate rapidly in the opposite direction.

17. in a device of the character described, a pressbox, a plunger, means for feeding materlal to the press-box, means operable upon the filling of the press-box for automatically effecting the lowering of the plunger, and adjustable means for automatically effecting the return movement of the plunger.

18. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, means for elevating said plunger, means for automatically feeding material to the press-box when the plunger is elevated, and means operable upon the filling of the press-box for effecting the lowering movement of the plunger.

19. Ina device of the character described,

a press-box, a plunger, a feeding device for feeding material to the press-box, means for automatically actuating said feeding device when the plunger is moved to its elevated position, and means operable upon the filling of the press-box for automatically effecting the lowering movement of the plunger.

20. In a device of the character described,

a press-box, a plunger, a feeding device for feeding material to the press-box, means for automatically actuating said feeder device wh'en'the plunger is moved to its elevated position, means operable upon thefilling of the press-box for automatically effecting the lowering movement of the plunger, and

means operable by the lowering movement of the plunger for automatically effecting the reversal thereof.

21. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, means adapted to feed material to the press-box, means for automatically actuating said feeding means when the plunger is moved to-its elevated position, a member movably supported above the press-box and in the path of the incoming material, and means controlled by the movement of said member for automatically effecting the lowering of said plunger.

22. In a device of the character described, a press-box, a plunger, a fluid-pressure cylinder, a piston therein, a connection between said piston and cylinder, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to the opposite end of said cylinder, means operable upon the filling of the press-box for actuating said valve to effect the lowering of the plunger and means operable upon the lowering of the plunger for actuating said valve to effect the elevation of the plunger.

In testimony whereof I have signed. my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

his FREDERICK BERNARD X CUMPSTON. mark Witnesses:

M. HEAFER,

JOHN 'M. SPELLMAN. 

